Liverpool boast the youngest squad in the Premier League... but they're a long way behind German and French top flights

When he took over at Anfield in the summer, Brendan Rodgers made no secret of his wish to introduce a philosophy of attractive, attacking football to restore Liverpool's glory days.

And central to that was bringing through the club's talented young prospects - the likes of 17-year old Raheem Sterling and 19-year-old Andre Wisdom - into the first team.

Little wonder then that Liverpool have the youngest squad in the Premier League this season, with an average age of 25.6 years.

Teenage kicks: 17-year-old Raheem Sterling has been brought through into the Liverpool first team by new manager Brendan Rodgers this season

Breakthrough: Liverpool have also played defender Andre Wisdom, 19, in 12 matches this season

This puts them just ahead of Newcastle United (25.7), who have 19-year-old Gael Bigirimana and 20-year-old Sammy Ameobi among those making a breakthrough, and Aston Villa (also 25.7).

Villa have a young complexion to their attacking options, with 21-year-old Andreas Weimann and 22-year-old Christian Benteke making an impact this season.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Norwich City are all tied on 26.2, with Southampton on 26.4 and Manchester City on 26.6.

Making an impact: Austrian striker Andreas Weimann has made 12 appearances for Aston Villa so far this season

But an analysis of the top leagues in Europe shows that the Premier League is trailing far behind in terms of promoting young players to senior games.

The top 12 on the list are all from the German Bundesliga or France's Ligue 1, with Werder Bremen boasting the youngest average age of 23.1.

Aside from captain Clemens Fritz, who is 31, Bremen's entire squad is aged between 18 and 25, putting them a good way in front of Hoffenheim in second.

Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach also feature in the top ten.

European leaders: German side Werder Bremen have the youngest squad in Europe's top divisions, including Nils Petersen (left) and Marko Arnautovic, both 23

It is most likely a result of a process of rigorous youth development overseen by the DFL (German Football League) over the last decade which has required all sides in the top two divisions to invest in top class academy facilities.

Elsewhere, Roma come in joint 13th with an average of 25.3 years, Bayern Munich are joint 16th with 25.7, Barcelona joint 22nd on 26.3 and Real Madrid back in 24th with 26.5.